Why NaiYaRa is One of the Best Restaurants in Miami Beach

It was probably the best meal I had all year.

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When I first walked into NaiYaRa, I already knew I was about to have an amazing dining experience. The Bangkok-inspired dining room was almost as exquisite as the food prepared by Chef Bee, who uses an array of flavors and beautiful decor in every dish.

NaiYaRa serves Thai street food and Japanese sushi specialties, making it almost impossible not to please everyone who walks through the door. And while it might be hard to know what Miami Beach restaurants are worth the money, I can assure you NaiYaRa is.

Spring Rolls

Julia Kohl

The first dish I tried was spring rolls filled with cabbage, glass noodles, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. It was wrapped in fried rice paper and came with a delicious and slightly sweet thai chili sauce. They were larger than your normal spring rolls, so you definitely get your money's worth. Not only were they the best spring rolls I have ever had, they were also vegetarian and gluten free.

Salmon Toro Tartar

Julia Kohl

The salmon toro tartar, which was a special, was definitely the most unique dish I had at NaiYaRa. The fish was topped with ikura, black caviar, truffles and 18k gold. It also came with shrimp chips which were meant to be eaten with the tartar. The dish not only looked amazing, but also tasted fresh and flavorful. While shrimp chips might sound odd, they added a nice crunch to the dish and were not overwhelmingly fishy.

Tuna Pizza

Julia Kohl

Tuna pizza is one of NaiYaRa's secret menu items. When I first heard about the tuna pizza I was a little concerned about how cheese would taste on fish, but it was actually really good.

It's a personal-sized pizza made with crispy rice as the pizza crust and tuna sashimi, cashew mayo, sesame seeds, slices of jalepeño and a small sprinkle of cheese on top. It also has NaiYaRa's signature edible flowers and gold flakes on top for decoration. Even though you won't see this item listed on the menu, it is always available, so just ask your waiter for it.

E11even on Lenox Roll

Julia Kohl

I have been dreaming of the E11even on Lenox Roll ever since I finished eating it. It was unlike any roll I have ever tried, and I eat sushi for almost every meal. The roll was filled with mixed tuna, yellowtail, salmon, cucumber and spicy mayonnaise topped with tempura flakes. It was the perfect mixture of soft and crunchy and was definitely a more filling roll, so be careful not to order too many other dishes, even though you will definitely want to.

NaiYaRa Roll

Julia Kohl

The NaiYaRa Roll is filled with salmon belly, cucumber, avocado, scallion and truffle oil, topped with salmon belly brulee. To non-salmon lovers, it might sound a little fishy, but the truffle oil definitely adds flavor, erasing that fishy taste salmon sometimes has. I also asked to get it without avocado because I am allergic, and the restaurant was very accommodating and didn't give me a hard time about it.

Sushi Donut

Photo courtesy of NaiYaRa

Although I didn't actually try the sushi donut when I ate at NaiYaRa, it is definitely a cool secret menu item I thought I should point out. Like the tuna pizza, you won't see the sushi donut on the menu, but it's available when you ask your waiter.

Chef Danny Khoetchapalayook mastered the art of sushi donuts and can make it with your choice of toppings whether its salmon, tuna, white fish, caviar, crispy rice balls, avocado, truffle flakes and more. And of course, it will be topped with NaiYaRa's signature flowers, making it one of their many instagram worthy dishes.

And if you thought NaiYaRa couldn't get any better, you thought wrong. They also serve a thai-inspired brunch on Sundays, which I will definitely be trying in the near future. Whether you want want to go for brunch, lunch or dinner, NaiYaRa will definitely leave you satisfied and dying to go back for more.